A Twist in Fate
by dauntlessblackhawk
Summary: After the Avengers mission in New York, the team is given a one-month vacation away from S.H.I.E.L.D missions and work. Watch Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff - the two master assassins' lives outside S.H.I.E.L.D and how their trust and relationship grow stronger day after day. Preceding story of 'Hey Clint'.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, have no affiliation with the Marvel Universe and whatsoever. If I did, there would already be a Clintasha movie out there (how I wish).**

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**A/N: This is what I imagine happened between Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff after the Avengers mission in New York. This isn't exactly related to 'Hey Clint' but then I might end up making this the preceding work of it, they do kind of relate after all. As usual, reviews appreciated! Honest criticisms are also welcomed, as long as they can help me improve my work. This is my second Clintasha fanfiction, still working on my skills and stuff.**

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_Guilt can quickly turn into regret and self-pity. _

_The only way out is through acceptance and forgiveness. _

_- Unknown_

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These two assassins have a long history, never will they show their feelings in a mission or in the S.H.I.E.L.D base, they know what they have between them is against the rules and acutely dangerous for them both.

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Clint rummaged through his drawers, cupboards and wardrobes for his sunglasses yet they were nowhere to be seen. 'Damn it!' he cursed, five minutes till the team's debriefing with Fury and they'll see their little alien friend off, back to Asgard where he belongs. He wouldn't miss this grand occasion for the world, but he won't be able to see anything without his sunglasses. Being photophobic sucks – especially for a professional archer like him.

'Two minutes, Barton!' a voice called from outside. He knew who it was without even having to answer the door.

'Nearly done. Just come in already, Tasha. Looking for my sunglasses. Do you happen to know where the hell they are?' he called back, running one hand through his brown hair while continue looking for his sunglasses with the other. Where could they be? He remembered distinctly that he had put them right beside his phone before he went for a quick shower. Natasha silently opened the door and slipped in while watching her partner turn his room over. A victorious smirk slowly worked its way up her face. This is going to be so much fun.

After searching for another minute which seemed like centuries, Clint finally realized that Natasha hasn't said anything since the second she slipped into his room. Silence means a lot of things to them, and this time, he knew she's up to no good. He whipped his head back and came face to face with a smug-looking Russian squatting right behind him. She was wearing his sunglasses on top of her fiery red hair. For God's sake.

'Seriously, Romanoff? Now? We're seconds away from getting Fury pissed.' He tried snatching his sunglasses back but she was too quick – as always.

'Want something? Come get it.' Natasha responded with a cheeky grin.

'Fine. Go ahead. Wear my sunglasses.' Clint pushed his way through his messy room and stalked out of their apartment and down the hall of their flat. He didn't get any sleep yesterday night and he really didn't want to lash out on Natasha right now. He did have a few seconds of eye-close, in between those nightmares that constantly reminded him of the last few days when he lost total control over himself – his mind and body, but those few seconds weren't enough at all. Can't she just leave him alone for once and stop messing around with his head for a while? Loki had already accomplished that mission more than enough.

'Don't do this to yourself, Barton. You can't live in your sea of memories and regrets. You know that.' Natasha said with a sigh. The trick didn't turn out as fun as she thought it would be. She locked the door to their apartment and followed her partner out of the building.

The drive to S.H.I.E.L.D was unsettling and unusually quiet. Natasha drove, as she watched her partner constantly fidgeting, out of the corner of her eyes. He'll never manage to forgive himself for what he had done, Natasha understood this better than anyone, but she needs him to pull himself back together or they'll both lose the little they have. She parked the car and pulled out the key. There is only less than a minute to get to their meeting room or they'll have to follow through all those shitty S.H.I.E.L.D protocols. Natasha put her hand on Clint's arm as gently as she can and gave him a tiny squeeze.

'Come on, Barton, it's time.' She said, returning him his sunglasses and swiftly climbed out of the car. She had not told Clint about her interrogation with Loki, it would just add to his guilt, she knew that, but if he heard it from anyone other than her, it would be far worse. She's just hoping now, hoping that the others won't mention the terrible event that happened just less than two days ago.

Clint refocused his thoughts that had been wandering the whole two minutes they took to get to the S.H.I.E.L.D base. He immediately put on his calm mask to remain as professional as he could and followed after Natasha. Loki drove him crazy the past few days. He had absolutely lost control of his mind and as a result of his actions. He helped Loki plan the attack in New York, the invasion of the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier and how to kill Natasha. It was entirely his fault, if only he wasn't so easily controlled, so weak, everyone would be safer – less of the New York population would be injured or dead, Coulson wouldn't have died and Natasha wouldn't have to go through all those worry herself.

The meeting with Fury, Hill, and the team ended quickly. It turned out that they will all be getting a long vacation for having fought so hard the last few days. Well, isn't that great? A month away from S.H.I.E.L.D, from missions, from fights, from weapons and paperwork. At least they might finally get some rest. They were given an extra hour to pack up their belongings for their holiday before they send Loki and Thor off, away from Earth.

'We're going to Paris.' Natasha decided as the pair of master assassins walked towards their car in the S.H.I.E.L.D underground car park.

'Romantic much, eh?' Clint chuckled, in which he received a deadly glare in reply. Those green eyes were literally blazing! How charming.

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**That's the end of chapter one, it's not exactly very long, but well, it's enough for a start right? Clintasha is going to Paris! I've never been to Paris myself, though. What do you think? How do you think the story should continue? Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews for the previous chapter. I'm so so so very sorry I couldn't update this any earlier, but I've been really busy even though it's summer holiday now. I promise I'll try my best to speed up my progress. Anyways, enjoy the second chapter and don't forget to review!**

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_Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. _

_― Allen Saunders_

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_Last time:_

The meeting with Fury, Hill, and the team ended quickly. It turned out that they will all be getting a long vacation for having fought so hard the last few days. Well, isn't that great? A month away from S.H.I.E.L.D, from missions, from fights, from weapons and paperwork. At least they might finally get some rest. They were given an extra hour to pack up their belongings for their holiday before they send Loki and Thor off, away from Earth.

'We're going to Paris.' Natasha decided as the pair of master assassins walked towards their car in the S.H.I.E.L.D underground car park.

'Romantic much, eh?' Clint chuckled, in which he received a deadly glare in reply. Those green eyes were literally blazing! How charming!

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'I can't believe S.H.I.E.L.D is giving us a holiday. Is this some kind of trickery? I mean we've been working for S.H.I.E.L.D for centuries yet never got a single day off.' Clint huffed as he watched Natasha unlock the door to their apartment.

'Be grateful, Barton.' Natasha replied in a bored tone without even bothering to look at him. The door unlocked with a click and she went in with Clint hot on her tails. They each found a leather handbag big enough for the little belongings they have and started packing away. Natasha chose a few shotguns and knives to bring with her, just in case the unthinkable and inevitable happens. She then chose a few t-shirts among the eight or ten pieces she has and packed three pairs of jeans. Natasha opened her wardrobe and took out four stunning evening gowns and laid them on her bed. She never wore them outside missions, the first one, a purple one, was the first dress Clint saw her in. The memories of the dance flooded back to her – the music, the sway, the touch, the light, the sounds of laughter. They were dancing in a grand ballroom, one of his hands gently held her hip and the other held her hand. The dance was a cover, but it was also the first time she felt warm being with a man, the first time she allowed herself to feel something.

Clint watched Natasha silently from behind her opened door as she decided which dress to bring with her. Clint smiled in recognition of that purple dress and saw her green eyes flicker with long lost but happy memories. He remembered everything about that elegant purple frock too – the night in Berlin and their first cover dance in their target's magnificent ball. The memories were still so vivid to him, as if all of that happened only yesterday.

'Need help choosing a dress, mi' lady?' he slowly bowed and offered her a hand, repeating the scenes of their first dance. Natasha smiled one of those sweet smiles she reserved only for him and during private and intimate occasions. She took his hand and they started dancing across the floor of her room, replaying memories of that wonderful night, except this time, they didn't have a target, didn't have to divert their attentions to someone else but one another. Natasha sighed in pleasure as she let herself melt in her partner's strong and protective arms.

'We could do this every day, every hour, every minute and every second the next month, you know?' she mumbled as they collapsed onto their sofa, catching their breath and trying to even out their breathing. That dance, even though without music, brought back to life the long lost memories of their first dance in Berlin.

'Sounds like the best idea I've ever heard from you, Tasha.' He grinned then closed his eyes and let his breathing pace return back to normal.

'Time to bid our alien friend farewell.' Natasha announced after a while then sat up and poked Clint in his ribs. Clint moaned and went back to his room to change out of his S.H.I.E.L.D uniform into something more casual – his one and only grey leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans. Then brought out his stuffed leather bag, his favourite bow and a bunch of arrows and waited for his partner in the hallway.

Clint was already out of the door when she finally finished folding her long purple gown then checking and double-checking her weapons. Natasha grabbed the keys, locked the door and the two of them went down to the car park together, their eyes barely suppressing the excitement of their holiday in Paris and a month of mundane life just for themselves.

When the pair of assassins have finally arrived the park where they will be sending Loki and Thor back to Asgard, Rogers, Starks and Banner were already there, all in casual wear. It's odd seeing the team in casual wear, they were all so used to seeing each other in their armors, suits, and their 'monster' side after fighting together the last few days. They greeted each other with a smile and a nod, some shook hands, but no one really said anything – actions speak louder than words, this is an unsaid rule that every 'superhero', assassin and agent understood and followed.

The Avengers stood around Thor, Loki and the dangerous Tesseract. Loki kept his eyes on Clint, the kind of stare that would touch anyone's nerves and make him scream with horror, but Clint kept his calm mask in place.

'You could still shoot that arrow through his eye socket, you know?' Natasha whispered to Clint and he grinned. He knew she was only trying to divert his attentions away from Loki's traumatizing stare but he was still thankful she said that. Vengeance was written all over Loki's face – he had lost Clint, his best weapon, his toy and his slave. Thor nodded towards them – a sign of gratitude and respect, then in a split second, the brothers disappeared from their realm.

The team then dispersed, Rogers wanted to travel around the world for a while, Stark invited Banner over to his tower to invent some new technology, and the two master assassins got into their own car and headed for the airport.

'I still can't believe we're doing this, I never thought I'd really ever experience days of a normal American.' Clint remarked as he drove on. He never thought he'd be able to leave S.H.I.E.L.D but he had always dreamt of a life outside S.H.I.E.L.D, outside missions, outside killing people and spying. He always wanted his own little family, a stable job that does not involve violence, friends that go to bar late at night who drink and have fun together. This is going to be an unforgettable experience, for him, and also for Natasha.

'This is a dream come true then.' Natasha smirked. She never imagined that this day would come too, that she could finally get the chance to live a normal life for a few weeks, no missions, no S.H.I.E.L.D protocols whatsoever.

They arrived the airport in twenty minutes and started checking in. The two assassins were basically gleaming with joy and neither of them bothered to hide their excitement.

'Going to Paris for a honey moon?' A flight attendant asked with a welcoming smile.

'You bet, this is our first time to Paris.' Clint chuckled and put an arm around Natasha's waist to pull her closer and planted a kiss on her right temple while breathing in her smell. She gave him a glare but it disappeared a second later, she didn't want to cause any trouble in an airport, kicking his ass would be much easier to do in a private room anyway. He just landed himself in deep trouble for doing that and he knew it, but it was totally worth the try.

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**This is the end of Chapter 2! What do you think Clintasha will be up to in Paris? How do you think the story should continue? Review and let me know what you think! I'd gladly accept positive criticisms too. See you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you again for the reviews on chapter two, and thanks for sticking with me for so long. Before I start this chapter, I have a special pen friend I need to thank – ****Quetsche****. She has been of amazing help to my story especially when I live nowhere near Europe, at all. **

**This chapter is going to be a bit angsty at the end. Be prepared**!

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_Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, 'It might have been.'_  
_― Kurt Vonnegut_

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_Last Time:_

They arrived the airport in twenty minutes and started checking in. The two assassins were basically gleaming with joy and neither of them bothered to hide their excitement.

'Going to Paris for a honey moon?' A flight attendant asked with a welcoming smile.

'You bet, this is our first time to Paris.' Clint chuckled and put an arm around Natasha's waist to pull her closer and planted a kiss on her right temple while breathing in her smell. She gave him a glare but it disappeared a second later, she didn't want to cause any trouble in an airport, kicking his ass would be much easier to do in a private room anyway. He just landed himself in deep trouble for doing that and he knew it, but it was totally worth the try.

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The flight to Paris took seven whole hours, the two assassins were so exhausted after finally getting off the plane. It wasn't the first time they traveled long distance so they were quite used to the change of atmospheres and they were masters at controlling their jetlag. Time difference has never been a problem in their previous missions – they've been to Asia and they've experienced worse jetlag. However this time, there was nothing for their minds to focus on that could pull their attention away from their tiredness to work, and the overwhelming exhaustion immediately washed over them the second they stepped out of the plane.

'I'll go get ourselves a hotel room. Just wait here, I'll be back in no time.' Clint said tiredly while running a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. Natasha just nodded, there was no reason why she should fight with him over this, so she just stood there and speculated the airport. Clint slipped on his mask and walked towards a counter. He greeted the young sales behind the counter and asked for a room for two in the nearest decent hotel. It was pass midnight New York time and seven in the morning in Paris, he really needed to rest before his journey here started. It's not like their time here is extremely strained anyway, one whole month is a hell lot of time.

'You got us two separate rooms, right?' Natasha rolled her eyes and asked when she saw Clint coming back, though she knew the obvious answer to that question.

'As if I ever would.' Natasha scoffed at his reply.

'Idiot.'

'We've slept on the same bed before, Tasha. This isn't the first time, and it's only for a day.'

'Whatever.' She muttered and started moving towards the exit, her soft red curls bouncing as she walked, her hips swaying slightly to the beat of her every step and her black high heel boots making 'clink, clink' sounds with the floor. Clint sighed as he watched his partner stalk away; he picked up their bags and followed after her. She is so unpredictable; no wonder no one ever survived the Black Widow's wrath.

'You are sleeping on the floor. Don't you dare touch my bed,' Natasha warned as they entered their hotel room. Clint rolled his eyes and immediately collapsed onto the king-sized double bed, daringly ignoring her. He felt her glare daggers at him but he didn't even flinch; he was just too tired after fighting all those monsters, aliens, gods with magic powers and his stupid mind control.

'You have to at least get up and shower first,' Natasha finally said in defeat after being ignored for a few minutes. Clint let out a groan.

'Slave driver,' he muttered under his breath, then slowly got up, searched through his leather bag for a set of cozy clothes and entered the bathroom.

'I heard that, you know?' she muttered back and shook her head in frustration.

After the two assassins finally finished taking turns showering, they lied on their backs on the enormous double bed, both facing the pale white ceiling while silence filled the room. Silence speaks volume about the assassins. They were both deep in thoughts, about their dark and regret-filled past, about the present, about their future as assassins and spies and a future they would never be able have.

'Tasha?' Clint suddenly murmured, reeling Natasha's thoughts to a halt.

'Mhmm?'

'I…I…oh, um, forget about it…' and with that, he turned his back towards her and faced the wall, burning holes into it with his stare.

'What is it, Clint?' she asked while she nudged him and tried to force him to turn around and look her in the eyes. 'Tell me.'

'It's just…nothing, no, it's nothing.' Natasha waited for more but figured he'd never finish his sentence. Clint would never say anything if she forced him to, he never tells anyone anything against his own will, but he would always tell her everything when he's ready, she will just have to wait for that moment.

'Go to sleep,' she said soothingly, while running her hand back and forth on his strong arms, trying her best to help calm his thoughts. She knew he was thinking about Loki and that screwed up mission in New York, she knew how guilty he felt about the whole thing, but she never knew how to comfort people, so all she could was to be here for him when he needed her.

'Thanks, Tasha,' he whispered, turning around to face her and their eyes met; the pairs of green and blue eyes transmitting zillions of feelings and unspoken words. They held their gazes for what seemed like a century till Clint finally said good night and turned away from her, once again facing the wall, willing himself to sleep.

Natasha watched as Clint's breath slowly evened out and slipped into sleep. It was good to have someone you trust close beside you, knowing that he would always get your back, catch you when you fall and always be there for you. But the dangerous thing is, if you lose that one person, you will fall apart. That was why Natasha had distanced herself from him in the first place – she didn't want to hurt herself, neither did she want to hurt him or drag him down into hell with her. She sighed and turned her back towards him, trying to control her thoughts from wandering too deep.

'Don't! No! Please, Loki, please, I beg you, no!' Clint cried, Natasha woke up with a start and almost reached for her gun on the small table beside her when she refocused herself and saw her partner thrashing around on their bed. Nightmares. Natasha knew all about nightmares, she often has them, but sleeping with Clint calmed her dark thought during the night.

'Clint!' Natasha whispered, shaking him slightly. 'Clint! Wake up! It's just a dream!'

'No! Please! Loki! Don't do that, please!' he pleaded in between sobs, not stirring at her voice. He was sweating, and she could see how bad this nightmare was. She shook him again and tried to wake him, this time louder than the last.

'Clint! Everything's okay, wake up!' His eyes then suddenly flew open and Natasha immediately read the fear, the anger, the guilt and the terror in his blue eyes.

'Natasha?' he whispered, panting, and trying as hard as he could to focus himself.

'I'm here, it was just a dream, everything's okay here,' she said stroking his arms with her palm.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered and covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back sobs.

'There's nothing to be sorry about. Loki?' Clint nodded.

'I'll just go up to the roof top, if you don't mind…' he sighed, turning around and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking over his dream.

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**A/N: Well, what do you think about the last bit of this chapter? Review and tell me your thoughts! I did a better job updating this story right? I'm really busy this week so I might not be able to write the next chapter though I've planned something big for Clintasha. Stay tuned and thanks for following me all the way here :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I hope you guys have the patience to put up with the waiting I make you guys do... I'm sorry cus I really am not a professional writer and sometimes my brain gets stuck. I have the story all mapped out in my mind but I just can't write it out – really need more practice, I guess.**

**Ready for Chapter 4? Feels, angst, lots of emotions coming in!**

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_There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. _

_Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear._  
_― Richelle E. Goodrich_

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_Last Time:_

'Clint! Everything's okay, wake up!' His eyes then suddenly flew open and Natasha immediately read the fear, the anger, the guilt and the terror in his blue eyes.

'Natasha?' he whispered, panting, and trying as hard as he could to focus himself.

'I'm here, it was just a dream, everything's okay here,' she said stroking his arms with her palm.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered and covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back sobs.

'There's nothing to be sorry about. Loki?' Clint nodded.

'I'll just go up to the roof top, if you don't mind…' he sighed, turning around and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking over his dream.

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Natasha glanced at the digital clock by her bed – 08:34. They had only slept for about an hour, at least they tried. She sighed, nightmares suck.

'Hey, you know that you can always talk to me right?' Natasha asked quietly as she sat down beside Clint, her shoulder grazing his, making him stiffen a bit. He was slightly shivering, though she knew he was trying his very best to hide his weak side. She watched him silently overlooking the beautiful Parisian streets in the misty early autumn morning. There aren't many people who are up yet, mostly some shop keepers, who own tea and coffee shops, opening their stores for early morning business. She could guess what he's thinking, from the look on his face, that he envies those people who lead normal lives, unlike them; who never have to dream about bloody or life-threatening things at night, unlike them.

Natasha nudged closer, partly trying to keep both of them warm from the chilly morning breeze and partly trying to give him some reassurance and perhaps some comfort too. She knew she was no use in comforting people using words; actions speak louder than words anyway, right?

'Talking about it might make you feel better, that was what you once told me,' she murmured while resting her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh. One month will be over, soon and fast, if this happens every day.

'Don't let your guilt wash over you, Clint. It was Loki, magic, aliens and things we were never trained for,' Natasha knew all about guilt, the only reason she survived till now was because she is a master at locking away her thoughts, feelings and emotions. She learnt how to hide things from people, knew how to make up the best and perfect lies, all these were the work of the Red Room – she was a deadly weapon, the Black Widow.

But she also knew how difficult it is to push away the guilt. The Red Room always made her forget part of her missions, leaving the last part – the bloody killing part, in her memories. It made her feel even more guilty, to wake up unconscious in a room full of blood and dead bodies, knowing she was the murderer of all those people but not knowing why and how. She knew she has to pull her partner out before he drowned too deep in his past and immense guilt.

_Clint, you have to wake up, for me._

'There has to be something I could have done to prevent all of those that happened in New York. I should have identified he was the enemy that very second he appeared in the room. I could have just shot him dead in a millisecond.' He muttered, his voice rough and broken.

'Hey, look at me.' Natasha reached out for his hands and held them softly, but tightly enough that not even the archer would be able to get out of her grasp. His hands were ice cold, so she rubbed her thumbs in circles on the back of his hands. He allowed her and didn't fight back. If it was anything, it still made him feel a bit better.

Clint turned and locked his blue eyes with her green ones, both conveying a million unspoken words and emotions that neither of them was supposed to feel.

_Clint, be strong, for me._

'I'm sorry I did this to you, Tasha. To you and to everyone,' he said, his voice strained. His brain had been unwillingly replaying scenes of their screwed up mission in New York, scenes when he was under Loki's control, scenes when he fought Natasha and when he killed his own people. The burden was just too heavy to carry on his own two shoulders.

'Everything and everyone would have been better if Loki had just killed me in the first place..' he whispered, pain bleeding through his words. Natasha felt her heart clench.

'No, you know that isn't true.' She said a bit more harshly than she intended to, _I won't be any better_, she left unsaid. She didn't know what else to say, but that was a fact.

_I need you, Clint._

She'd be broken, maybe dead, if he wasn't here with her right now. If she had received a call from Coulson saying "Barton has been killed" rather than "Barton is compromised" during that stupid interrogating session with the moron, she'd have mentally broken down and never return to S.H.I.E.L.D, maybe hide in the darkest place so that no one would ever find her. He was the whole world to her. Their partnership was everything to her. He was the one who saved her and gave her a chance to start a new life. He kept her sane. Their partnership gave her something to live for. She owed him a never-ending and non-repayable debt.

After half an hour, two assassins were still sitting on the roof of their hotel with their feet dangling on the edge. Nobody saw them, no pedestrians noticed them. It was their profession to hide from people, and they have been doing a perfect job at it. Neither of them had said a word since Natasha denied Clint's words and left a whole lot of emotions floating in the air.

'There's a place here in Paris that I really wanted to go when I was young.' Natasha suddenly whispered out of nowhere, still staring out at the Parisian streets, watching normal people living their normal lives, trying to imagine how this month will turn out to be.

'And where is that?' Clint asked without looking at his partner, wondering where in France she could have not been. Russia and France are almost neighboring countries, after all.

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**A/N: Well, where do you think it is? I'm not sure if I can write the next few weeks. Gonna be traveling in UK and starting a new school in September. I've planned out everything already, I just need to put my imaginations into words, which is so damn hard. Seriously, need more practice here.**

**When are you guys starting school? I heard some are starting next week already! Anyway, if you are, good luck :)**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry again, for the wait. I'm so bad at writing and posting in haste. It would be of very much help if you guys could just review and tell me what you think about my writing after reading it. I totally appreciate constructive criticisms.**

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_Hope can be a powerful force. _

_Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, _

_you can make things happen, almost like magic. _

_- __Laini Taylor_

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_Last Time:_

After half an hour, two assassins were still sitting on the roof of their hotel with their feet dangling on the edge. Nobody saw them, no pedestrians noticed them. It was their profession to hide from people, and they have been doing a perfect job at it. Neither of them had said a word since Natasha denied Clint's words and left a whole lot of emotions floating in the air.

'There's a place here in Paris that I really wanted to go when I was young.' Natasha suddenly whispered out of nowhere, still staring out at the Parisian streets, watching normal people living their normal lives, trying to imagine how this month will turn out to be.

'And where is that?' Clint asked without looking at his partner, wondering where in France she could have not been. Russia and France are almost neighboring countries, after all.

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'Well, you know, it's one and a half month before Christmas. So people are probably preparing for it already. There's this lane – Champs Elysees, I heard, that has beautifully lighted decorations and shops…' she said trialing off, lost in thoughts.

'Tonight?' Clint asked after pondering over what she said for a while. He knew that place well enough, he was sent there for a solo mission a long time ago, even before he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. It is arguably the most famous street in the entire universe, plus the most expensive strip of land. He can't believe Natasha has never been there.

Natasha smiled in reply, her eyes sparkling with excitement though still staring out at the streets. She has never really celebrated Christmas before – only heard stories of Santa Clause, reindeers, sleighs, gifts, seen splendidly decorated giant Christmas Pines standing in gardens of houses or in malls. She had always wondered what it would be like to have a family, celebrate the festive season together with them, staying in a warm house, chatting near a marble fireplace with her loved ones. She never had any. That was the problem.

'Hey,' Clint said nudging her, 'no more sad thoughts for today.' He said that for the both of them. He really didn't want anything to ruin their holiday anymore too. It is, after all, very rare for agents to get a one-month off from S.H.I.E.L.D, especially high-ranking agents like the two of them.

'Promise?' Natasha asked, grinning.

'Promise.' He said sincerely.

But both agents knew well enough, that promises were meant to be broken. _Don't make empty promises._

'Okay then, come on, we have a big day today,' she said as she got up and held one hand out for him. He didn't need that, but it was just some kind of comfort and reassurance. She pulled him up and they went back down to their hotel room, thinking about the night they're going to have, blocking their thoughts from wandering back to those dark and dangerous ones.

Everyone has their dark sides. Everyone has a terrifying past. Everyone has scars that they don't want to remember about. Everyone has their own secrets that are better left unsaid and unheard.

These two assassins just have more scars, more secrets, which are even darker, deeper and scarier than any ordinary person. But they had each other. Their imperfections fitted perfectly with the other. They made each other perfect. They made each other whole. They gave each other a reason to live. They made each other want to fight to survive. They made each other want to be a better person. They were lost, but with each other, they are found.

After an hour, both assassins are cleaned up and dressed in casual wear, ready for their big night out.

'You know French, so I suppose you know what the name of that street means, right?' Clint questioned.

'_La plus belle avenue du monde_ – the most beautiful avenue in the world,' she rectied without looking at him, still crutching beside her leather bag, carefully (oh yes, she's always careful) choosing what she has to bring for their night out.

'Well, yeah, but don't expect too much,' Clint chuckled, not to any extent surprised at all.

Natasha scoffed, but continued packing. Oh, dear Lord, knives? They aren't even on a mission. Clint sighed as he watched her clean her weapons. She slipped a knife in her sleeve and two in her boots. Just think of deadly dangerous assassins. She then handed Clint his sunglasses, put on hers and stood up, giving their room one last check. Why is she always this cautious? Clint pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to be as patient as he can.

It was already 12:46pm, by the time Natasha finally finished checking, double-checking and triple-checking, the two agents in normal clothing walked out of their hotel room with glee. How long has it been since they were this happy? No one could really tell.

'Is this a date?' Clint suddenly asked with a cheeky smile spread widely across his face.

'Oh shut up, Barton.' She replied dryly. Clint pouted.

'Melodramatic idiot.'

'Not those insults again… this is supposed to be an unforgettably happy and memorable-'

'Say that word again and I'll punch the life out of you,' she said threateningly, interrupting his speech.

'Fine…' he muttered reluctantly under his breath. Why is asking a fellow assassin on a date this difficult? He's on the edge of giving up trying. Natasha smirked, reading his thoughts. Victory.

'Oh, don't be such a wuss, Barton.'

'Not. My. Last. Name.' he stated just as threateningly. He hated being called by his last name when out of missions or S.H.I.E.L.D base.

'I have a name, okay?' he said, totally irritated.

'Aw, honey, did I hurt your feelings?' Natasha teased, toiling with his patience.

'Just shut up. I don't want to lash out right now.'

'If you say so, hun.' She replied, grinning while slipping her left arm into his right one and lean her head on his bold, strong shoulders like a little girl, letting her red curls fall on his jacket. His heart stopped. She's messing with his head, again. He lost the game, again.

'Damn you, Tash.' He cursed. Natasha chuckled darkly at that, sending vibes through his veins. He almost shuddered, if his control over his whole body wasn't this brilliant. He just hated that feeling with a burning passion.

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**A/N: Well, what do you think so far? Please, pleaseeeee review. I've been getting less and less review from you guys and it's depressing ._. **

**Anyway, as I said, I live nowhere near Europe, so I've actually never been to this street. If possible, I'd be delighted if you guys can give me some tips about this place – during (before) Christmas. **

**Are my chapters long enough? Should I actually combine 2-3 chapters into one long one with 3k+ words? Still quite new to all these fanfiction writing stuff, you know..?**

**Again, I'm not sure when I'm gonna write next and when I'll be able to post the next chapter. I will be traveling in UK from next Wednesday for like 2 weeks and will be starting a new school. I'll try my best. Promise.**

**See you in chapter 6! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh yay, finally, wifi! :') Thanks for the few reviews I got. I'll try working on the length of each chapter, is around 2k words per chapter enough? And about the tenses… well, I'm really sorry but when I write, I get too focused on the story, plot and everything and kinda forget bout the tenses and my mind gets a bit mixed up too. I apologise if I make you really frustrated when reading my story.**

**Do you ever feel like you might die from losing too much water from your body from tearing up? I've been crying so much lately cos I'm changing schools; leaving my home, friends, school, everyone I've known for most of my life. I'm going to the UK to continue my studies and these goodbyes are just terrible. *sigh* so sentimental..**

**Anyway, I'm sorry you had to put up with this poor old woman's blabbering. Here's chapter 6, enjoy and don't forget to review :)**

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_You are your own worst enemy._

_If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection,_

_you may find the happiness that has always eluded you._

_– Lisa Kleypas_

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_Last time:_

'Not. My. Last. Name.' he stated just as threateningly. He hated being called by his last name when out of missions or S.H.I.E.L.D base.

'I have a name, okay?' he said, totally irritated.

'Aw, honey, did I hurt your feelings?' Natasha teased, toiling with his patience.

'Just shut up. I don't want to lash out right now.'

'If you say so, hun.' She replied, grinning while slipping her left arm into his right one and lean her head on his bold, strong shoulders like a little girl, letting her red curls fall on his jacket. His heart stopped. She's messing with his head, again. He lost the game, again.

'Damn you, Tash.' He cursed. Natasha chuckled darkly at that, sending vibes through his veins. He almost shuddered, if his control over his whole body wasn't this brilliant. He just hated that feeling with a burning passion.

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It's 1:28 in the afternoon and two casually dressed S.H.I.E.L.D agents are walking down the Parisian streets briskly, trying to find a decent but not too expensive restaurant and have a quick lunch. Why on earth is everything here so freaking expensive? And the problem is, they don't even think it's worth every single penny of it. Natasha groaned in frustration, starting to get a bit agitated.

'Hey, let's just get some fish and chips take away, there has to be a cheap restaurant. You can wait here if you like, I'll go get us something. Fast. Okay?' Clint said as Natasha grew really impatient. She nodded and he flew off – on a solo mission, to find food for the two starving assassins.

Natasha continued slowly walking down the street and found herself admiring those young couples in the restaurants and coffee shops, enjoying themselves, fondness and admiration written all over their faces as they talked – perhaps about a future.

_Love is for children._

She always believed in that. She was trained not to love, but to take advantage of people. Love isn't something that can be easily explained, but to Natasha Romanoff, everything had and needed an explanation. Love doesn't, so it doesn't exist and she'll just continue denying its existence till she finds a logical proof to this bizarre emotion that messes up everybody's lives.

She didn't even realise she had stopped in front of a tiny, delicate-looking coffee shop, staring at those young and 'in love' couples inside when a waiter from the shop stepped out. Brown hair, gelled nicely though to unnatural, tall enough with broad shoulders. He was those kind of bastards that sleep with every single pretty girl they meet. He noticed her, flashed her a smile, then walking towards her, he studied her with hungry eyes. She felt his stare rest on her breasts and she immediately stiffened on high alert. _Damn, Clint wouldn't like this._ She thought.

'Hello, ma'am, is there something you'd like?' he asked in a heavy French accent; still flashing her his best flirty smile. Alan. Natasha saw the tiny but still visible words on his name tag from the distance.

'Actually, no, my boyfriend is just buying some lunch for the both of us. He'll be back soon.' She half-lied, smiling back at him. Disappointment immediately showed on his face and Natasha smirked.

'Well, he is a very lucky guy to have somebody as beautiful as you, sweetie,' he said, this time staring at her lips. Oh gosh, this is turning very disgusting. Clint Barton, where the hell are you?

'Thanks, I'll tell him that,' she said, forcing a smile then turned to walk away from the dirty-minded waiter.

'Since I don't think we'll ever be meeting again, I might as well tell you that you have very sensual lips and a perfectly curved body,' he commented while grasping her arm, forcing her to face him again. Natasha shuddered and her blood ran cold as he spoke those last few words. Many people told her that, mostly targets, but almost every men she met. She never liked the feeling of men watching her as if she's a bait or just another sex toy. _Clint never did._

'Can you kindly let go of me, sir?' she asked as patiently as she could – trying to ignore his burning stares on her breasts and lips. She wasn't even wearing her perfectly fitted S.H.I.E.L.D costume or anything particularly revealing.

'Oh yes, I'm so sorry sweetie, have a nice day,' he said, immediately letting her go not sounding sorry at all, and winked at her.

'What was that?' she heard a similar voice asking from behind her with caution. She tensed up. Shit. He was here the whole time.

'Creepy bastard who thinks I'm fucking sexually attractive and said you're lucky cus I told him I already have a boyfriend,' she stated bluntly still highly pissed off.

'Ah, I see. Here, I got us a quick meal. Relax, Tash,' he said as he sat down on a nearby bench and opened their take-away. He gestured for her to take a place beside him on the bluish green-painted bench.

'Stupid, freaky, annoying, screwed up, insane, idiotic, crazy, immature and just completely fucked up men,' she muttered under her breath and sat down next to her partner. That young man was certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clint sighed as she curled and uncurled her fists; she was just pissed, nothing personal, he reassured himself.

'We still have 5 hours before it's evening. Are there any other places you want to go?' he asked after finishing his burger.

'Not exactly.'

'Oh well, there's got to be more to life than doing nothing and letting time slip pass our fingers, right?'

'Perhaps.'

After spending one whole afternoon in the Parisian streets trying to enjoy their first day of their 'be-a-normal-person' holiday, the couple of master assassins were thoroughly exhausted.

'Geez, I thought nothing would ever be more tiring than our paper work and missions from S.H.I.E.L.D, you know?' Clint whined. It was half pass six and the two of them have gone back to their hotel for a rest. Clint immediately collapsed onto their bouncy bed after Natasha unlocked the door.

'Oh yeah? I think you should try babysitting a bunch of 3 year-olds in a nursery school. That is so much worse.' She challenged, raising an eyebrow, a smirk working its way up her face. Clint gave her a wary _I-don't-think-I-want-to-know_ look and covered his face with a pillow.

'But seriously, we were just window shopping, walking around, visiting sites, touring and stuff. How tiring should that be? Compared to all the shit load of work, trainings and missions we get from our bosses.' Clint said after a few seconds of thought, peeking out at Natasha from underneath his pillow.

'You only have ten minutes – better make good use of them, we're leaving soon.' Natasha said, ignoring his complains, as she brewed herself a hot cup of coffee, turning her back towards him.

'Whatever.' Clint rolled his eyes and replied and hid his face back into the fluffy pillow, his voice muffled. They aren't even working, not in a mission, not bounded by time – practically free. And yet here's the Widow being all strict, rigid and tight. Clint sighed and squeezed his pillow harder into his face, trying to catch a few minutes' rest.

Natasha stared at that pillow and watched the muscles on his strong arms flex as he held onto it even tighter_. _

_She was so not jealous._

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**A/N: There're ten more days till I start school. I'm on a vacation, as you guys might know, and am touring England with my family. Family holidays are just not that enjoyable at times. *sigh* I'm really sorry for not having updated this any earlier at all, I've really tried my best making it longer but I just don't have the time. I hope things will get better when I start school, perhaps then, I'll get more internet access. :) **

**Review please - tell me what you think, about the plot, my writing style etc. Any constructive criticisms are gladly accepted. Please do review, I'll be so happy.**

**See y'all soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Why hello again, thanks for sticking with me for so long. I can't believe I've made it this far – the 7th chapter of my 2nd fanfiction! I don't really know how long this is gonna be though, we're only on the first (second?) day of Clintasha's holiday after all. Oh, but don't forget, this is the preceding story of 'Hey Cint' (my first ever fanfic) so if you're curious about how the ending of this fanfic is gonna turn out, you better check that out ;)**

**But in the meantime, please enjoy chapter 7. I honestly love this part, the first part I mean.**

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_For some things, there is no rational explanation,_

_there is no way out; there is no happy ending._

_Welcome to the unknown, welcome to eternal darkness, welcome to oblivion._

_– The Alton Towers_

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_Last Time: _

'You only have ten minutes – better make good use of them, we're leaving soon.' Natasha said, ignoring his complains, as she brewed herself a hot cup of coffee, turning her back towards him.

'Whatever.' Clint rolled his eyes and replied and hid his face back into the fluffy pillow, his voice muffled. They aren't even working, not in a mission, not bounded by time – practically free. And yet here's the Widow being all strict, rigid and tight. Clint sighed and squeezed his pillow harder into his face, trying to catch a few minutes' rest.

Natasha stared at that pillow and watched the muscles on his strong arms flex as he held onto it even tighter_. _

_She was so not jealous._

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Natasha felt like punching that pillow and ripping out every single fluffy cotton wool stuffed in it. She felt like tearing the pillow into pieces and leaving it torn apart in shreds on the floor.

No. The Black Widow is so_ not_ jealous.

Damn it. Why does he have to be so intimate with that stupid pillow anyway.

Clint felt her glare and shifted uneasily under his new fluffy friend. Oh dear Lord, please don't tell me Natasha is jealous. He could even sense her blazing green eyes burning holes through the pillow using her stare. Oh. My. God. No. Please. No.

'Can't you just leave me alone? I want to rest, I _need_ to rest.' Clint muttered, still covering his face with the pillow, unwilling to let go.

'Oh, what was I doing that disturbed you and your new friend?' Natasha raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a calm frame and steady her voice. That would have fooled anyone; she had to be an amazing liar to keep her job anyway. But Clint would never have fallen into the mighty Widow's traps. He knew her too well, or at least well enough to know that the Widow's words are not to be a hundred percent trusted (or even not at all) when it came to personal or emotional matters.

'Your eyes,' he replied. Natasha scoffed and sipped the hot cup of coffee she had just finished making.

'If you say so,' she said, and then putting down her cup, she stalked out of their hotel room and slammed the door shut behind her.

After ten minutes of cat-nap, Clint woke up finding his hotel room empty. Holiday. Coffee. Pillow. Natasha. Pissed. Oh, shit, Natasha.

'Damn it,' he cursed and threw his pillow at the wall in front of him and immediately broke a glass. He ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed. She's out running again. He glanced at his watch – 5 minutes till they have to leave for their pretend date. She'll be back.

Clint got up and looked for his phone, intending to ring Coulson up. Then he suddenly remembered what had happened to his friend and all emotions immediately took over his mind and body. He fell to his knees and braced his head with his hands, silently choking back tears. Memories of old times rushed into his brain and flooded it – happy times, sad times, times when both of them were pissed, times when one of them were on the edge of dying; and now, everything was gone. All that was left were the memories. Those black and white memories of things and events that would never ever happen again.

'Barton?' a small voice whispered out of the blue.

'Clint?' that voice grew a bit louder this time and something or maybe someone shook him.

'Clint!' this time it turned into some sort of a scream of urge; the voice was distant but recognizable. Clint slowly opened his heavy eyes and saw some blurry colour of red. Tasha. She was crouching in front of him, not too close but not too far away. Her hair was damp. It must have been drizzling, if not raining, when she went out running just now.

'Hey,' Natasha greeted with a warm smile, touching his forehead, feeling the burning heat radiating from his body. 'You're burning hot.'

'I fell unconscious,' he said, puzzled, trying to clear his clouded mind. He rubbed his eyes and strained his arms, trying to concentrate on the present and to conceal all those dark thoughts that flooded so suddenly back into his mind.

'He's happy now, free of all burdens and worries from this world. You should be happy for him too.' She said, ignoring his statement. She knew what happened just from the haunted look on his face – confused, sad and angry. Clint nodded slightly at that. He understood what she said, but he just can't stop blaming himself for all that happened those days ago. He actually indirectly killed Coulson, his boss, his confidant, his best friend.

'Remember what we promised each other earlier today?'

'Yeh..' he said, his chests heaving, still panting heavily from the sudden rush of memories his brain brought back. Then he pushed himself up to a standing position, trying to collect himself back together.

'Okay, good, cus tonight's gonna be a good night,' she said, a smile working its way up her lips, remembering that line from a song she heard from a TV advertisement quite a long time ago. Not like she watches much TV anyway. She stood up too, taking a few steps backwards to give him enough personal space.

'Right, let's head out to the streets,' he replied, taking in one deep breath and breathing out, then rubbing his temples, trying to relax his mind a little.

The evening passed really quickly, and before they knew it, the clock had already struck 12. It was already 2:43 am when the pair finally finished strolling down Champs Elysees, checking out every tiny shop and boutique, enjoying the beautifully romantic early Christmas decorations and those bright and colourful lights that hung everywhere. They had been walking for almost 11 hours and their feet and ankles were so sore. They haven't even fully recovered from that screwed up New York mission. Coulson would have lectured them for not taking care of themselves and always pushing their own limits. Clint sighed at that thought, threw it into a dark corner of his mind and silently locked it away, not wanting it to bother him any longer tonight.

'You okay?' Natasha asked, as she saw the shift of emotions on his deceptively blank face, nudging him with her elbows. Her hands were tucked inside the pockets of her leather jacket; the wind blew and made her shiver a bit. It was late October and the autumn breeze was chilly. Natasha was used to the cold, having being from Russia, but that didn't mean her body has entirely adapted to the chill those breezes brought. And the main thing is she wasn't running about catching targets. That would certainly have warmed her up.

'I'm fine, just a bit tired. Now that we've finally finished, can we go back to our hotel?' he said, pretending to yawn.

'Yeh, okay, let's just catch a cab.'

The traffic back to their hotel was so bad that it took them double the time they used, traveling from the hotel to that street. They were absolutely silent in the taxi and the driver kept looking at them through the rearview mirror with confusion in his eyes. When the couple finally went into their hotel room, they both sighed in relief. Until Clint saw a blue piece of paper next to the lamp on the small table.

"_**Dear Sir, **_

_**It is to our understanding that you have only booked and paid for a night in this room – €150 paid by credit card on 14 October 2012. The fine for late check-out is €80. Please pay the due amount by midnight 15 October 2012 or another fine of €30 will be applied. If you wish to stay for one more night, please contact the hotel reception. **_

_**Thank you for your understanding and we hope you enjoyed your stay."**_

'Shit. I forgot to check us out this morning.'

'What?' Natasha asked in disbelief, picking up the notice and started reading it.

'I only paid for a day; we were supposed to move to another better hotel that's nearer to the city this morning. Shit. €80. I really didn't need that'

'Oh.'

'I'll just go down to the reception and maybe try work things out. You might as well go to bed first, there's no need to wait for me.' He said while putting on his jacket and shoes again.

'Wait, no, I'll go with you.'

'Really, you should get some rest, you're tired-'

'So are you.' She interrupted him. Natasha slipped her jacket on, put on her boots and went out of their room. Clint cursed himself in frustration. Damn his carelessness.

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**A/N: Well, did you like the turn of events? It wasn't exactly something big, but it's something to write about right? Yay it's finally the third day of their holiday. Has anyone listened to me and checked out 'Hey Clint'? If you don't know, that's the sequel of 'A Twist in Fate'.**

**Reviews please. I'd really love to hear more from you guys. My internet connection's really limited these days so I can't reply to all of you but I'll try my best. Still working on the length of the chapters but am certainly improving.**

**See you all soon :)**

**P.S. To those who are also starting school next week, I'm wishing you all the best :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I've finally moved into my new school and started settling in! So sorry that I disappeared for so long but I've been trying very hard to get used to everything here and remember all the things.**

**Did you check out 'Hey Clint'? Did you like the ending? **

**By the way, the quote I put there in the previous chapter was from a rollercoaster ride called Oblivion in The Alton Towers. If you're from the UK, you gotta go there if you haven't.**

**Enjoy chapter 8 :)**

**P.S. If you reviewed as 'Black Thorn' on my last chapter, thanks so much for your comments. I really wanna reply you but I can't since you posted your review as a guest. Anyways, all I can say now is be patient haha. If you have been keeping track of the timeline, there's still about 2 and a half week till what happened in 'Hey Clint'. A lot can happen in 15-days-time *wicked smirk***

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_Everything we do, every thought we've ever had,_

_is produced by the human brain._

_But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries,_

_and it seems the more we probe its secrets,_

_the more surprises we find. _

_– Neil deGrasse Tyson_

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_Last time: _

'I'll just go down to the reception and maybe try work things out. You might as well go to bed first, there's no need to wait for me.' He said while putting on his jacket and shoes again.

'Wait, no, I'll go with you.'

'Really, you should get some rest, you're tired-'

'So are you.' She interrupted him. Natasha slipped her jacket on, put on her boots and went out of their room. Clint cursed himself in frustration. Damn his carelessness.

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After an hour plus downstairs settling the fine and payments with the hotel reception, both assassins slowly limped back to their room, exhausted. It was already 4:06 am when they could finally rest. A bunch of tangled limbs were sprawled on the double bed. Anyone seeing them like this would wonder how they even succeeded in so many missions without being too dead tired to run for their lives and save their own asses.

'Clint?' Natasha mumbled.

'Yeh?' Clint said, without opening his eyes, half asleep.

'Thanks.' The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly and he drifted to sleep immediately.

Natasha sighed as she watched her partner's breathing pace slowed down and evened out, drifting into sleep. He looks cute when he sleeps, but she would never admit that till the day she died. She slowly and silently untangled her right hand from his strong arms and felt him shift a little. He was still asleep – she could tell that by his breathing pace. The Black Widow may look unbeatable, dangerous and frightening, but in a faraway corner buried a soft side of Natasha Romanoff. She tenderly brushed some of his brown hair away from his face and tried to memorize every inch of his face.

He felt her eyes on him, trying to remember him, maybe. He never falls asleep that quickly, but he genuinely enjoyed pretending to sleep while Natasha let out a bit of her emotional side. That was one of the things he loved about her. The only thing is that he hopes he could be enough for her, though he knows deep down that he never will be.

They are too different: a Russian and an American, a spider and a hawk, a spy and an archer. He doesn't even understand why she is still here with him after so long.

_Will you stay, Tasha? Will you?_

It was 8:21am when Clint woke up first, finding Natasha nudged up close to him. Her back was curved perfectly against his body and her legs tangled with his. This wasn't the first time, but he still felt butterflies in his stomach and grinned. He'll just stay here for a bit longer and wait till she wakes up, she usually wakes up not long after him anyway. He rubbed patterns on her bare arm with his thumb and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear.

'Morning hawk,' Natasha said, almost in a whisper but without moving an inch. She stayed, she knew, she let him.

'Morning widow,' he answered, smiling. He then slid down her face with the back of his hand then gently continued using his palm, over the curve of her shoulders, following down the curve of her arm to the side of her body. He stopped when his hand reached her waist. He felt her stiffen a little under his hand but still hasn't said anything to stop him. He pulled her closer and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.

'You've been up since..?'

'7:30.' She replied.

'Well then, you must be hungry, I'll buy us some breakfast,' he said, starting to untangle himself from her to get up. He didn't want to ruin this moment but he knew if he continued, she would just put up all her walls again.

'No.'

'What?'

'Stay, for a little while.'

'Oh,' utterly shocked by her words, 'okay.'

And he slipped his hand back onto her waist and held her tighter than before. His warm breath hovering over her skin, making her feel safe. He breathed in her smell – Natasha and jasmine.

'Tasha?'

'Hmm?' She said, this time, turning around to meet his eyes.

'I..' he falters for a moment as their eyes met. Natasha saw the emotions clouding over his blue eyes and watched his pupils dilate a teeny bit and refocused.

'I think I'm about to kiss you.' He finished.

'Okay,' she whispered, her breath caught in her throat.

And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her on her mouth. He cupped her face with his hands and deepened the kiss with all his might. He felt her hands holding onto the scalp of his head. The two of them were pouring zillions of unspoken words and emotions into the kiss. They kissed for 5 whole minutes until both of them were literally completely out of breath. They laid in bed panting and catching their breath for a long time – staring at each other, till the cleaners knocked on their door at about 9:15 and they finally, reluctantly, got up.

Natasha went into the bathroom and took a shower. She let the water splash onto her body, feeling clean and refreshed, thinking about all those times when she allowed Clint into her personal space, how she actually liked the feeling of being cared about or being 'loved' – as normal people would call it. She got out of the tub and realized she had forgotten to bring her clothes in. She sighed, knowing how he'd react seeing her like this.

Clint stared at Natasha as she stepped out of the bathroom. Her red hair was dripping wet which made her look really sexy, and with that short towel not enough to cover most of her body wrapped around her, it was too much. They stared at each other for a long while until Natasha decided it's finally time to get dressed and broke the staring match. Clint then went back to a story he was reading from a chain email he had received a few days ago.

He was trying really hard not to look up and watch her change.

'I'm done,' she finally announced, drying her hair with a towel and his eyes immediately shot up and met hers.

'Such a seductress,' he muttered under his breath.

'Anyway, where do you want to go today? We gotta pack up and check out before noon.'

'Don't know, don't mind,' she replied, still drying the ends of her hair.

'Well, let's fly all the way to Great Britain then, there's one place I want to bring you to.' He said with a smile.

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**A/N: And where do you think that is? :D **

**Hint: it's super fun. Haha. **

**Did you enjoy the first Clintasha kiss I wrote? I'm not really good at writing fluff so please just bear with me. It's gonna be mostly adventures next chapter :) **

**Again, please review and tell me what you think and I'm terribly sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long. I'm trying. **

**By the way, I'm so happy I reached 10,000 words! What a huge breakthrough! :D **

**Thankies for reading and see you all soon! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: School is so crazy! There's so much prep every single day I'm totally stressed out and so exhausted. I can't even sleep well at night. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys genuinely like my story… I really want to feel a bit accomplished at something, any just one, please. **

**Enjoy chapter 9 :)**

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_You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares._

_To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control. _

― _Megan Chance, The Spiritualist_

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_Last time:_

He was trying really hard not to look up and watch her change.

'I'm done,' she finally announced, drying her hair with a towel and his eyes immediately shot up and met hers.

'Such a seductress,' he muttered under his breath.

'Anyway, where do you want to go today? We gotta pack up and check out before noon.'

'Don't know, don't mind,' she replied, still drying the ends of her hair.

'Well, let's fly all the way to Great Britain then, there's one place I want to bring you to.' He said with a smile.

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At 12:00pm sharp, the couple had already finished checking out of the extremely-expensive-but-not-grand-at-all hotel. They only brought one leather bag and a small luggage anyway; it really didn't take them that long to pack all their stuff, except Clint lost his sunglasses, again. And this time, they were almost literally sparring in their hotel room for the pair of sunglasses. Almost, because there wasn't enough space to throw each other around; almost, because the floor wasn't a soft mat; almost, because they ended up making out for another ten minutes.

It was 6pm in England when their plane made a rough landing into Heathrow airport. They went through all those normal inspection procedures, bought some Mc Donald's takeaway and were hitting the road in an hour.

Clint had managed to memorize the map to that special place he wanted to bring Natasha to. Using a GPS would mean that the location will be revealed to her and Clint knew Natasha loved surprises.

'When are you ever going to tell me?' she asked impatiently after riding shotgun for 45 minutes. She had already gone through and blurted out every possible place in her head, Shakespeare's town – Stratford upon Avon, Stonehenge, Cotswolds, the Northumbrian castles, Avebury stone circle, The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, crossing the famous Tower Bridge, Tate Modern, Royal Albert Hall, punting in Cambridge, horse riding up North…

'Oh be patient, lil' girl, we'll get there.'

'Ugh,' she groaned inwardly.

After a three-and-a-half-hours drive, they had finally arrived at their second destination of their holiday.

'What _is_ this place?' she asked, totally shocked by her surroundings as she tried to take in where he had brought them to.

'This is where we're camping for the night – The Unicorn Hotel.' He said, parking their red rented car.

'A pub!?'

'Um, no, Natasha, the hotel is right around the corner.' He sighed.

'Oh.'

'Yeh, I'm gonna bring you there tomorrow morning, don't worry. But right now, I need to drink. After four hours of driving.'

They went into the packed pub and already, Natasha felt pairs of eyes staring at her. Can't men keep their eyes off women some times? It annoys her so much. Clint saw her tense up and immediately tugged her by her sleeve and led her to a bar in the far back of the pub.

'Two pints of beer please,' Clint said to the young girl behind the bar without even looking at her.

'I'm not dragging your poor ass out of here if you get drunk tonight. Let me warn you first,' she stated in the as-a-matter-of-fact way as the girl put down their drinks.

'Yes, ma'am,' he smirked, and finished the whole cup with a gulp.

'Keep it coming, girl,' he said to the bartender, as she watched him with eyes glimmering in the dim light. Natasha finished hers too and waited for the next one.

'Wanna dance, Tasha?' Clint asked, after they've each drank two more pints.

'I can't believe you're already half drunk!' she exclaimed as Clint gazed at her lustfully and smacked him on his forehead.

'I think I totally deserved that,' he smirked.

'We're leaving, Barton. I told you. I'm. not. dragging. your. poor. ass. out. of. this. pub.'

'Aw, come on Tasha, it's been 7 months since I last got drunk anyway! And that was at Stark's, a celebration after that undercover mission you went on.'

'Barton. We are getting out of here. Now.'

'One more please!' Clint called out to the girl, ignoring Natasha. She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a crushing kiss.

'Nat-' he said as he struggled to break free from her grasp.

'What the hell?' he exclaimed as she finally let go of him.

'Now, please, can we get out of here?'

'Are you really that desperate?'

'Can't you see?' she said, putting on her hoodie and the hat, then crossing her arms, waiting for him to finish his last pint of beer for the night.

'Okay, okay,' he said, stumbling forward as he finished paying.

'How do you even get drunk so easily? Americans are so dull, they don't even know how to drink. We Russians, never, get, drunk.'

'Hey! Don't insult my country!' And they continued their silly banter till they reached the hotel.

The two assassins were finally in bed at 1:39am.

'G'night, Tasha,' he said, yawning then drifting into sleep.

'Night.'

And it wasn't till 4am when Clint woke up again, finding Natasha thrashing around beside him in the bed. _Nightmares_. It was rare to have nightmares when they were sleeping on the same bed. Sleeping together usually helps, but this time, it obviously didn't.

'Tasha,' Clint whispered, trying to shake her slightly.

'Hey, I'm here,' he said as her green eyes flew open and stared into his blue ones in the dark.

'What was it?'

'The usual,' she said, turning to her side to avoid eye contact. He tenderly put his palm on her shoulder and drew circles with his thumb, trying to sooth her and calm her nightmares. Nobody ever liked nightmares. And you wonder why they shouldn't cease to exist.

'Was it me?' he asked, his voice soft and yet persistent, brittle yet deep and not forceful.

'No it wasn't,' she said a bit too bluntly than intended. Clint knew she was lying.

'I'm sorry Tasha, I'm sorry about what Loki did to you…' he trailed off, retreating his hand. He had asked Stark for the recording of Natasha's interrogation with Loki, he knew all about what had happened. Natasha didn't know he did, he knew she would never have let him land his hands on those recordings.

'Don't you dare start this again. There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm fine,' she insisted as she sat up and looked him right in the eyes. The truth was, Natasha had been dreaming about that fight with Clint in the helicarrier. She dreamt about how he was 'killing her in every way he knew she feared'. And the biggest fear of them all was losing him, and she lost him. She was almost crying, desperate to wake the real Clint up, but failed, and he killed her. That was what she was dreaming about, why she was thrashing around. That was her nightmare.

'Good night Romanoff,' he said without looking at her, then lied down and turned to his side, facing the windows. He's not going to sleep tonight, he'll just be thinking about all possible ways things might have turned out, thinking about what he could've down that would have helped the situation, thinking about how useless he was – letting his team down and also betraying it.

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**A/N: I'm sorry guys, but homework is really driving me mad, I might not be writing for a while, or maybe I'm just gonna totally stop. Any suggestions on what I can do? I don't want to end this fanfic but I'm really stressed out :/ **

**I want to hear more from you guys. I'll decide whether or not to continue and tell you guys when I post my next chapter. So I promise there'll be at least one more chapter of ATIF coming.**

**xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry I disappeared again, guys! I've decided to take some of your advices and just post like twice a month. I'm so sorry but school is just driving me crazy and I don't really want writing fanfictions turn from being something I love to a burden. I hope you understand?**

**Anyway, in the meantime, enjoy this happy chapter :)**

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_Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.  
― Dr. Seuss_

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_Last time:_

'Good night Romanoff,' he said without looking at her, then lied down and turned to his side, facing the windows. He's not going to sleep tonight, he'll just be thinking about all possible ways things might have turned out, thinking about what he could've down that would have helped the situation, thinking about how useless he was – letting his team down and moreover, betraying it.

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When Natasha woke up again, blinks of sunlight were already shining through their window in places where the curtains didn't completely cover. She blinked a few times, trying to let her eyes get use to the sudden brightness. What time is it? She tilted her head to read their digital alarm clock – 10:47am. It's been a long time since she woke up this late into the day. She turned to her side looking for Clint but all she got were cold and empty sheets. He must have been up for at least a while already, she thought, then sat up and yawned.

Just then, she hears water running in the bathroom. She let out a faint sigh of relief, so he had not run away after yesterday night's episode, that's nice. She slowly got out of bed, stretched her arms and walked towards the tiny kitchen in their hotel room; it feels good not to wake up to missions lined up for you to go on and thousands of paperwork. Sitting on the table was a sandwich that he had just clearly bought this morning, cup of Earl Grey fruit tea, still warm, and a note beside it.

_Sorry about last night, good morning sunshine. Love_

Natasha smiled as her brain read this in his voice. She put the note down and sipped her tea, trying to enjoy the beautiful day she has woken into. As much as she knows, it's rare to have such bright sunny days in the UK. Oh. UK. She suddenly remembered he had promised to bring her to somewhere today. She started to wonder where it might be and where on Earth she actually is right now.

'Morning beautiful,' Clint said smiling, stepping out of the bathroom, showered and fully dressed in civilian clothes.

'Morning to you too,' she said grinning. 'Where are we going today?'

'Get dressed and I'll bring you there,' he said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

'Fine, don't keep me waiting!' she called out as she stepped into the bathroom with her change of clothes.

After an hour riding shotgun with her eyes closed, she was getting impatient and started fidgeting. 'Are we there yet?'

'Wait,' came the answer. She groaned. Natasha felt the car engine being turned off and heard him getting out of the car to open her door for her, still not allowing her to open her eyes.

'Not yet, palm on your eyes,' he instructed as he held her free arm and led her to she-doesn't-know-where. After a somewhat 10 years with her eyes closed, of noise, buzzing around and crowds; after walking for like 2km, she was finally uncover her eyes.

'Now,' he said, with excitement clear in his tone. She blinked a few times as her eyes shot right up. It was a ferris wheel? An insane ferris wheel? She has never in her life seen such kind of thing.

'Barton…?' she asked, raising an eyebrow feeling highly suspicious of why he'd bring her to such a place to see such a thing.

'Yes, Tasha?' He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at something else. Her eyes tried to search for what he could be looking at and BAM. There it was. 'Black Widow's Web' printed in red 'dripping blood-like' font on a big black board on the gate to the 'insane ferris wheel'.

'Where are we exactly?' she asked still suspicious.

'We're in Lightwater Valley the theme park, my widow,' he grinned, watching her shocked expression.

'And this…?'

'Is the Black Widow's Web, Tasha. Apparently, this is yours.'

'Theme park?' she asked as if still trying to swallow and process the information he had just given her. She was in a theme park! She had never been to one before.

'Yes, dear,' he said still grinning and watching her reactions.

'Wow. Just wow.'

'Wanna get onto this web you weaved?' she nodded and was immediately grabbed by the arm and dragged along by a really excited partner to the fairly short queue.

'Geez, that was fucking insane, Barton,' she said as they went out of the gondola they shared as she wasn't confident enough to ride her own web alone. How ironic is that? But no, the thing was literally spinning them upside down and the weightlessness is just making her extremely drowsy.

'Like you,' he chuckled. He then turned around and grabbed her waist tightly, shoving her towards him and kissed her almost chastely, in front of all the people swirling around them. Natasha gasped at the sudden and unexpected contact and nearly melted on the spot if it wasn't for her being so dizzy because of that cursed spider web of hers. She held onto his strong arm as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Then just as sudden as the kiss came, she lost balance and almost fell to the ground when a pair of strong arms caught her just before she hit the rocky road.

'Thanks,' she muttered, completely flustered and embarrassed that she had just literally slid onto the floor.

'You look cute when you blush, Tasha,' he commented cheekily. Natasha's expression immediately darkened as she glared at him. He just had to go and ruin this perfect moment.

'Don't you dare, Clint Barton.' She said and helped herself off the ground.

'Did you like it?' he said nudging her with his elbow as they walked away from the ride.

'Kinda, but it was one hell of a scary ride. How do people even survive being on that thing.'

'Well, there are a lot more to go, you know? But that was the one thing I had to show you,' he said grinning again.

The assassins spent their whole day in the theme park till it closed at 6pm. A sweet and genuine smile had already been permanently stuck onto Natasha's face. Clint had won loads of stuffed toys for her by the time they closed that Natasha could hardly see the road in front of her while holding onto the huge and tall pile of stuffed _things_. He literally robbed all those poor stall owners – there were stuffed teddies, bunnies, weird green monsters, cute kitties, purple frogs and basically anything you can think of.

'How are we even going to bring all these home?' She said trying to peep from behind the hill of stuffed toys.

'We could give them out or I don't know,' he shrugged.

'No. They. Are. Mine.' Clint nearly tripped over his own feet upon hearing those words. Woah, possessive Natasha can be downright scary. Not like he didn't know that, but, those were just stuffed toys..

'Hey kid!' he called out to a little girl of maybe 7 years old who was just running past them. She turned around and looked at him curiously. Natasha had to admit that she was adorable with her wavy brown hair and big blue eyes just like his.

'What's your name, kiddo?' he asked as she hopped towards them.

'Dianna!' she squealed with excitement as she saw the pile of toys.

'Well hello Dianna, my girlfriend – Natasha here has some adorable stuffed toys to give out, do you want one?' he said kneeling down in front of her and holding out a furry sheep with a bell tied around its neck with a ribbon. _Girlfriend_. Natasha just made a mental note to remember to kick him in the ass when they get back to their hotel room. The sheep was evidently too big for little Dianna – actually half her size, but she nodded and happily took it from Clint, nuzzled its nose with hers, thanked them and ran away to her mother who had been watching the whole scene. The two watched the little girl jump up and down holding her new toy while walking towards the park exit.

'That was… that was so sweet,' she said, totally amused by what just happened beside her.

'I know, Tasha,' he said getting up and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. He then rest a hand on her waist and led her back to their car.

'Thanks Clint,' she whispered, holding onto a fluffy white tiger, one of the many stuffed toys Clint got for her, which was apparently her favourite, as he drove them back to their hotel. She had been thinking about their day in Lightwater Valley Theme Park. It was actually surprisingly enjoyable, her first ever time in a theme park.

'You're welcome, Tasha,' he said smiling without taking his eyes off the road. And with that, Natasha drifted off to a short cozy nap beside him.

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**A/N: Liked it? I guess it's because I'm just feeling a bit depressed right now and had to write this to cheer myself up a little today haha. Review and tell me what you think will happen next!**

**Oh and Lightwater Valley does exist in England. If you're in the UK and have never been there, I highly recommend it, I went there this summer and it was so SO AWESOME.**

**Why Dianna? Because Dianna Agron is my favourite celebrity (;**

**Rejoice! ATIF isn't gonna end at the moment thanks to two lovely reviewers – you know who you are ;) By the way, thanks for being so sweet to me the whole way long! Chapter 10! Milestone! Woooot!**

**See you all later and I sincerely hope you aren't all washed up by smiles cos I was literally smiling while writing this the whole time x)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I've updated again! Only in three days! Are you happy? :D **

**How did you guys like the last chapter? I got some really sweet and heart-warming reviews from a few of you and oh my gosh I love you guys so much :')**

**School's till busy as hell, but I'm trying hard to cope with it. Plus, I'm thinking of actually writing a real story, like a book, or something. I don't know yet. I love writing but I think I still lack the skills of being a good (or even just decent) author.**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter 11!**

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_People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.  
― Abraham Lincoln_

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_Last time:_

'Thanks Clint,' she whispered, holding onto a fluffy white tiger, one of the many stuffed toys Clint got for her, which was apparently her favourite, as he drove them back to their hotel. She had been thinking about their day in Lightwater Valley Theme Park. It was actually surprisingly enjoyable, her first ever time in a theme park.

'You're welcome, Tasha,' he said smiling without taking his eyes off the road. And with that, Natasha drifted off to a short cosy nap beside him.

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When the pair of assassins finally arrived their hotel, Natasha's new favourite stuffed toy had already slipped out of her arms onto her laps. She was still asleep, but Clint knew she was always half-conscious even sleeping, so he sat idle in the car for a half hour before finally turning the engine off as quietly as possible; she rarely sleeps, and he really didn't want to disturb her peace. The second the car engine was switched off, Natasha rubbed her eyes and let out a small moan.

'Morning, agent Romanoff,' he said grinning at her sleepy face and messy red hair.

'I'm hungry,' she stated as her stomach rumbled, ignoring the underlying meaning of his annoying comment. She held her new pet tiger tighter and stared at her feet.

'There's a small takeaway restaurant nearby, we could go there?' she nodded and they got out of their car with Natasha still clinging onto her white tiger.

'You should probably name him, or her if you like,' Clint suggested as they walked towards the empty takeaway restaurant.

'I'm not a kid. I don't name inanimate objects, Barton.'

'Oh that's ironic, then why are you carrying it with you, Tasha?' he chuckled. Natasha stiffened and refused to reply.

'Aw come on, just say it,' he said, stopping to look at her.

'No I won't.' He knows she likes her new toy, why can't he just let her be?

'Women,' he muttered and walked on with Natasha trailing after him with a respectable distance. The tension between the pair of assassins was extremely high – purely because of her undamageable pride and dignity. After so many years of partnership, so many minutes and seconds being together, she still switches back to this stubborn Russian woman sometimes. He's so tired of trying to make her speak, but he had sworn to himself he won't stop till that day, when he really succeeded.

'Let's go home, Tasha,' Clint said without looking at her, with an audible sigh as they finished paying for their takeaways. Natasha just followed him, without a sound, feeling very uncomfortable.

'I like it, okay? I mean… I love it, because you got it for me,' she suddenly murmured in such a low tone that only Clint would hear her.

'Thanks,' he said with a genuine smile that showed all his relief that she had finally _finally_ chosen to speak and let out some of her emotions.

That night, after both of them had finished super and finished bathing, they were once again completely exhausted and were sprawled on the relatively tiny double bed. Their limbs were literally tangled together, with Natasha's head resting on Clint's chest.

'I'm starting to miss sparring sessions,' he said out of nowhere. Natasha just nodded to that.

'Maybe we should go back to S.H.I.E-'

'Not a chance.' She rolled her eyes and cut him off before he even got to finish.

'Or we could go to a gymnasium or a deserted archery ground. I don't know. I just find life of these peasants a bit too boring. Don't you?'

'Kinda.'

'Well, gymnasium it is then? We could just book the whole gymnasium for a day and spar there.'

'Then we'll go to an archery ground and I'll watch you shoot.'

'Nope, correction: "and I'll learn from you how to shoot." And this time you have no excuses to run away,' he said grinning while playing with her red hair that was spread across his chest. Natasha poked his ribs and rolled over to her side of the tiny bed.

'Ow! I didn't even do anything!' he protested while throwing a pillow at her.

'Oh yes you did, believe me, that wasn't enough,' she stated throwing it back to him, and he just narrowly managed to dodge under it.

'I want a massage.' She said as she lied down again, this time with her back facing him.

'Magic word?'

'Please,' she groaned. He chuckled then started slowly rubbing her neck, gently putting pressure on each rub on her shoulders then her back. Massaging was one of the things he was surprisingly good at. He is a tough, hard soldier, but he also knows how to be gentle, when time comes, especially with someone as beautiful, fragile and brittle as his partner. She may look strong and unbreakable on the outside, but inside, she's just like any other human, crumbling down every second. She's just an expert on hiding everything that goes on inside.

Just as he finished, he planted a soft kiss on her neck and shifted back to his side of the bed. But she instantly turned to face him and their eyes met, making both of them nauseous due to the suddenly skyrocketed tension between them. Both pairs of blue and green eyes clouded with zillions of emotions. After what seems a few minutes, she blinked away the misty emotions clouding her eyes and gave him a shy smile then turned away to face the pale, ripped wall with yellow wallpaper. He did the same, turned off the blue lamp on the small table beside him and fell asleep with a smile hung on his face.

It was only the sixth day of their holiday and both of them were already starting to get bored. Think about how normal people actually get on with their lives every day: sit in their office and work their way off till 6pm, dinner then movie with snacks. The cycle repeats itself again and again till they age, wither away slowly and die. How fascinating, not.

Clint was typing away on his laptop trying to find the biggest gym in England. He didn't want to spar with Natasha in a teeny room filled with obstacles that might hurt them, make them trip over or stuff – not that they weren't experts dealing with obstacles.

'Anything good?' Natasha asked tiredly sipping her coffee. She doesn't even need to stay awake. Why is she drinking coffee anyway?

'Nope, nothing, not that I can see… Google is being really unhelpful today…' he sighed, rubbing his temples, on the edge of giving up.

'Let me have a go,' she said, stood up and went to him.

'It's all yours,' he said gesturing to the useless laptop sitting on the coffee table in front of him. Natasha went over and sat on his laps with her legs crossed and started her mini project of finding them a decent place to spar. Clint just held on to her slim waist and closed his eyes. He really needed some intense fitness session. His endurance level has already been decreasing a lot. If this lifestyle continues, his muscles are going to lose its strength and he'll never excel in his missions again. Plus the other thing is, he feel sloppy.

'There's one, up North, it's a deserted sports stadium, five-hour drive,' she announced suddenly, after looking and searching for a full 20 minutes.

'Well, let's pack up and leave then, I'm tired of this place,' he said as they both got up from the squeaky wooden chair their weights were crushing on.

'Don't whine, Barton, who's the kid now?' she gave him a teasing glare and he rolled his eyes again.

When they were done packing and returning the keys to the half-drunk guy at the customer service counter, they threw their two bags into the back seat of their car with all those other stuffed toys Clint got from the park.

'I'll drive,' Natasha said holding her palm out for the car key.

'It's not like I haven't driven for more than eight hours before, Natasha.'

'But I insist.'

'Whatever you say,' he said, throwing her the keys, which landed perfectly in her palm, and slid into the seat beside her.

It only took them three and a half hours to get to the deserted sports stadium. The traffic wasn't exactly very bad and Natasha had memorised all the shortcuts through towns, small and narrow roads through huge pieces of grasslands (as she always does).

'I still think we should end this holiday earlier, or maybe go to Stark's - visit the two science geniuses and see how the tower's renovating project is going on.' Natasha snorted at his words. She hated that annoying and cocky bastard. Tony Stark just irritates her too much for her to even want to see that man without wanting to slap down his ego and kick his ass. Talking about ass kicking, she still owes the person beside her one. Natasha smirked as her thoughts wandered over there.

Clint suddenly felt a shift of air around Natasha and risked a glance at her. She was smirking. That dark, deadly, proud smirk. Oh shit. What did he do again?

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**A/N: Well? What do you think is going to happen next? *grins knowingly* Review! **

**Oh, and by the way, which chapter do you all like most at the moment? Do you like angsty bits more? Or fluffy Clintasha? Tell me what you think! And don't make yourself anonymous cos I try my best to reply to all of you :)**

**Bye and see you soon! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hellooooo people! I'm back! I received some really sweet and nice reviews form the last chapter, thank you so much for all your support :')**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter first and we'll talk later ;)**

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_Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living_

_–Dr. Seuss_

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_Last time:_

'I still think we should end this holiday earlier. Maybe go to Stark's, visit the two science geniuses and see how the tower's renovating project is going on.' Natasha snorted at his words. She hated that annoying and cocky bastard. Tony Stark just irritates her too much for her to even want to see that man without wanting to slap down his ego and kick his arrogant ass. Talking about ass kicking, she still owes the person beside her one. Natasha smirked as her thoughts wandered there.

Clint suddenly felt a shift of air around Natasha and glanced at her. She was smirking. That dark, deadly, proud smirk. Oh shit. What did he do again?

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'Natasha…' he said highly cautious and uncomfortable as he mentally went through everything that he did the last few days.

'Yes?' She parked the car and turned off the engine, then turned to look at him under her batting eyelashes with a fake innocent expression.

'Natasha,' he repeated.

'What? Can we please just go in and check out the sad little deserted sports stadium of yours? My body is aching for exercise.'

'You better tell me what I did, Romanoff,' he groaned and got out of the car. He went to the back and took out his favourite bow and a handful of arrows then strode towards the block of grey with peeling wallpapers.

The inside of the sports stadium turned out to be rather decent, or at least better than they expected. They had both practised in worse places. It had one huge hall, presumably once an indoor basketball or volleyball court; then there were a few other rooms, one with 5 torn but still usable target boards, perfect for Clint, and another huge hall which was once a gymnasium with a bouncy floor and all the equipment still present, including gym mats, rings and bars. The assassins were impressed with this place they found.

Natasha quickly whipped out two guns from the inside of her leather jacket and shot at a target board. The gun sounds echoed through the whole stadium which made Natasha grin.

'I like this place,' she said with a raised eyebrow as she continued shooting, her chin up, her eyes entirely focused on the target board. Clint ignored her and started practising his short-distance shooting. He has always been better with long-distance, but it didn't mean that he would miss any shots when he had no choice but to shoot in a shorter range. This pair of assassins expected perfection in their practises because they know when they go on a mission, it's a war zone. And in a war, no mistakes can be made; they aren't allowed; they aren't affordable. You do something wrong, you'll be dead by the next second. These two had fought long enough to stay alive.

They spent 2 hours shooting continuously, without stopping for neither water nor food, without speaking or looking at each other at all. Then they went to the former gymnasium to spar. Natasha started taking off her heels and jacket, leaving on her black tank top and tights, while Clint did the same, taking off all his unwanted garments and his shoes.

'Ready?' Natasha asked as she tied her fiery red hair up into a ponytail so that it's all out of her face.

'As ready as I can ever be.'

Then they started their sparring match. It's been weeks since they last sparred together yet they still haven't forgot all the moves. They sparred for an hour with no one being knocked down, when suddenly as her leg was about to aim for his waist, he grabbed her and pulled her towards him in the most awkward position, with his arm wrapped around one of her legs and the other supporting her neck, preventing her from falling.

He grinned and Natasha's breath caught in her throat as she saw the mixed emotions starting to cloud over his eyes. She closed her eyes for a while then as she opened them again, she sprang into action and in a split second, Clint was pinned to the bouncy floor of the gym with her delicate but strong hands holding onto his wrists and her thigh squeezing his legs.

'You lose,' she smiled scornfully looking down at him. But he didn't care and just stared into those beautiful green eyes of hers. Her ponytail was quite loose at that point, and there were a few strands covering her face and beads of sweat visible on her forehead.

'How do you even get distracted so easily?' she asked, disgusted as she stared back into his blue ones.

'No idea,' he shrugged carelessly, 'it wasn't exactly my choice to be given such a gorgeous, drop dead sexy, attractive, witty and clever partner, you know?'

'Ugh,' she is so going to kill him one day, she thought as she hung her head, closed her eyes, shook her head and loosened her grip on his wrists. A few more strands of her hair fell out and he carefully and gently tucked them back behind her ears. She instantly tensed a bit at that caressing gesture but was too tired to care already, as all the adrenaline that kept her going drained out of her. She just sighed and literally collapsed onto his chest while they both breathed heavily from the intense match they just had. He landed a hand on the small of her back with the other playing with her beautiful red hair, twisting strands around his fingers then releasing them. They stayed like that on the floor for half an hour, till Natasha finally got up and suggested to grab some food and look for a place to stay for the night.

That night, they stayed in a tiny bed and breakfast, far away from any town or city centres, owned by an old lady. It was cheap but they both agreed that the commodity provided was good enough for a night's stay.

When they woke up the next day, they found themselves wrapped up in each other, their limbs, once again, tangled together in a mess. They sat up feeling contented and refreshed from the exercise yesterday, and then went down for a simple breakfast served by a young girl of thirteen, the old lady's granddaughter, maybe. They felt almost serene and at peace as they sat in the backyard of the little house, looking out at the beautiful view with birds chirping and red and yellow leaves falling from branches while enjoying their breakfast. Natasha let out a small sigh of pleasure as her imaginations wandered off to an unfamiliar but delightful life she might have had in another universe, at another time. It is as if every bad thing in the world could just suddenly disappear and melt away, that her life, for once, could be perfect. Just then, she saw a spark of blue in the clouds and she choked on her tea.

'What is it?' Clint immediately asked, alarmed.

'Nothing,' she said her voice a bit rough, still coughing and recovering her breath. Was she dreaming? Why would there be a sudden spark of blue among the fluffy white clouds?

'Natasha, tell me, what is it?'

'I thought I saw something, but never mind, it's nothing, I'm fine,' she replied as she sipped her tea and tried to forget what she thought she saw. That spark of blue reminded her so much of New York. Thor, Loki, the tesseract, those aliens, monsters, they all landed here on earth because of the spark of blue that opened into a humongous dark hole which acted as a tunnel for those creatures to descend onto the earth.

'Tasha…' he said pleadingly.

'I said I'm fine,' she snapped she didn't want to bring up this conversation; New York reminds them of too much unwanted things and feelings. He just ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

'Where are we going next?' she asked after a few minutes of silence.

'Up to you,' he answered with a shrug then left the table, leaving Natasha sitting there alone wondering what she should do next. Natasha has never felt so frustrated and confused before, if not never, at least it's been a long time since she last felt so helpless, of both her life and of Clint. Before she joined S.H.I.E.L.D, she always had perfect control of her life, of what is going to happen next and she always knew how to deal with situations, no matter how extreme or dangerous they were. Now, she is just living one day after another, with no plans, none at all. It gives her freedom. It gives her choices. But sometimes, especially in times like this, it makes her desperate, desperate to be in control again.

Natasha finished her tea and went running along the moor, the huge piece of grassland that seemed to have no end.

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**A/N: It's half term break for me! Yay! Any of you too? I'll try to post more the coming week. But I still have loads of study to do so please do bear with me.**

**How did you like this chapter? Review and tell me! And guess what, I was listening to Atlas by Dave DeRose (not the one by Coldplay, though yes, I love that one too) the whole time while writing this. The song is so deep, so emotional, so dynamical.**

**Hope to see you soon!**


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